Showing 1 - 10 of 66
How to help the world's poor most effectively
News, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 22/12/2025
» As 2025 draws to a close, it's natural to turn our thoughts to the good we can do in the coming year -- not just for our families and communities, but for the world at large. The holidays are a moment not just for personal resolutions but for asking a bigger question: how can we help the world's poor as effectively as possible?
Malpractice in uniform
News, Editorial, Published on 12/06/2025
» Reports of rotten apples in a highly regarded medical profession have managed to shock society, again. This time, a psychiatrist at the Police General Hospital (PGH) has been arrested for allegedly buying 15 million baht of alprazolam -- a controlled substance that can be used as a recreational drug -- to resell at inflated prices.
Trump's tariffs are not simply about dolls
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 20/05/2025
» In a famous scene from the hit American television series Succession, the savvy patriarch of a family-owned media empire is infuriated to learn that none of his children knows the price of a gallon of milk. He understands that such a disconnect between decision-makers and ordinary people is a recipe for failed leadership. Now, the same tension is playing out not on our screens, but in the White House.
Philanthropy in an era of declining development aid
Oped, William Moore, Published on 02/04/2025
» Philanthropy will never replace public aid, but it can be a powerhouse if we use it right. With global development funding under strain, European aid budgets being redirected towards defence and rearmament, and the United States rethinking foreign assistance altogether, the aid community has been left scrambling.
Welfare fraud must end
Oped, Editorial, Published on 02/04/2025
» A whistleblower's report about the massive pharmaceutical fraud involving government officials and medical staff at the Veterans General Hospital shows the need to investigate claims filed with state medical facilities, especially in light of the ballooning medical welfare budget.
Time to let Afghan women lead
News, Palwasha Hassan & Shafiqa Khpalwak, Published on 10/03/2025
» This year's International Women's Day is marked by a sense of foreboding, even despair. Progress on women's rights and representation is stalling: the number of women in parliaments grew last year at the lowest rate in a generation, and the global financing gap for gender initiatives remains wide. At a time of widespread democratic backsliding -- and with US President Donald Trump freezing foreign aid, including for gender initiatives -- the prospects for improvement appear bleak.
Crosswalk gamble
Oped, Postbag, Published on 19/02/2025
» Re: "Pedestrian crossings need to be safer", (BP, Feb 17).
Time to deliver
Oped, Postbag, Published on 04/02/2025
» Re: "High school students to receive free tablets, laptops", (BP, Jan 30).
The education policy that can bridge the gap
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 11/10/2024
» Children's educational test scores are a major cause for concern across the world. Learning plummeted nearly everywhere during the Covid-19 pandemic -- but even before that, standardised test result measures in mathematics, science and reading were heading in the wrong direction.
Data can unlock more financing
Oped, Mahmoud Mohieldin & Claire Melamed, Published on 06/08/2024
» Late last month, the United Nations convened world leaders and development experts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to try to focus minds on the need for more development finance. In the face of tight government budgets, a looming debt crisis, and the chronic challenge of attracting private investment, the outlook for many developing countries -- especially in Africa -- seems bleak.